


A Prize to Be Won

by HardlyQuinn



Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Disney - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Manipulation, F/M, G-rated violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-21 13:12:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4830341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardlyQuinn/pseuds/HardlyQuinn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle arrives in time to save Beast from Gaston's clutches, but at what cost? Alternate ending.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Beast let out roar as Gaston struck out at him, his knife slashing across beast's chest and drawing a long, thin line of blood which seeped into Beast's already rain-matted fur. Beast stumbled backwards as a flash of pain blinded him, his back colliding with the stone rail of the balcony and sending more pain to radiate throughout his body, causing him to sink to the ground. Gaston laughed, brandishing the knife like a wild man. He shouted something - not that it mattered. Belle was gone, and he was almost dead anyway. Might as well get it over with, and maybe the servants would be able to turn back into their human selves.

'Some of them might be able to escape...' Beast thought wearily, softly groaning at his pain in spite of himself. Gaston raised the knife to make the final strike, an mad happiness evident in his features. Beast prepared himself for the imminent blow - but not for what happened next.

"No!" Beast's eyes flew open in amazement as he and his tormentor both turned to see Belle charging towards them, screaming at Gaston. She ran at him, grappling for the knife. Gaston's surprise quickly passed, and he shoved her roughly away.

"Stay out of my way, Belle! This is between me and this Beast!"Gaston brandished the knife again, taking a step towards Beast and nearly being bowled over by Belle as she threw herself across Beat to shield him from harm, and thankfully avoiding the cuts already inflicted by Gaston's knife.

"I won't let you do this!" Bell's voice broke slightly as she attempted to hold back a sob. Gaston laughed, pulling her up by her hair and eliciting a screech of pain from Belle. Beast cursed himself for not fighting back and made a forceful effort to get back to his feet, attempting to use the balcony's banister for support. His body screamed out in protest as he fell against the balcony's banister, smearing a thick trail of blood across the stone.

"So you do have feelings for this monster!" Gaston cackled. Beast felt hope rise in his chest despite the circumstances, momentarily wiping the pain of his current physical state from his mind. If she only said the words..

"He isn't a monster!" Belle struggled to free herself, to no avail. Gaston gave her a twisted smile, shoving her roughly away and grinning as she smacked into the balcony, releasing a cry of pain. He leered down at her as she struggled to rise, kicking her back down and grabbing hold of her chin with one blood-stained hand.

"Careful, Belle, we can't go damaging that beautiful face of yours, can we?" Belle shot him a death glare, gasping as she wrenched herself from his grasp. Beast growled, his strength fading even as he imagined 1,001 ways to kill Gaston. Gaston rounded on him once more, punching him in the muzzle and slamming his head into the stone. Beast let out a growl of pain as Belle struggled to her feet.

"Don't hurt him!" Gaston ignored her, raising his knife for the final strike.

"Please! I'll do anything!" This stopped him. Horror flooded through Beast as Gaston's face changed into that of a wild animal who has just managed to strike down its prey. He rounded slowly on Belle, his eyes flashing malevolently from the flashing light of the violent storm raging around them.

"What was that?" Belle's eyes filled with tears as she avoided Beast's pleading gaze.

"Please..." She abandoned her attempts to stand, sinking once more to the ground. "Don't hurt him.." Gaston's smile widened.

"Belle.." 'Don't do this. Not now. We're so close...' Beast let out a soft moan, his strength ebbing away with his blood.

"Very well." Gaston leered at Beast, sheathing his bloodstained knife. He kicked out at Beast, knocking his weakened form to the floor and quickly crossed over to Belle, hauling her to her feet by her forearm and dragging her towards the doorway. Belle struggled in his grasp, her eyes wide and pleading as she fought to get back to Beast.

"No! Beast! I won't leave him! Stop!" There was a thunderous slam as Gaston dragged Belle away, her cries of protest becoming fainter as they neared the castle entryway. There was a triumphant cry from Gaston, and one last sob of protest from Belle before the castle fell silent, the victorious hunting party cheering somewhere too far away for Beast to reach... And somewhere among them was Belle.

Beast's world went black.


	2. Chapter Two

Belle's screams were lost among the din of the battling hunting party and castle servants as Gaston pulled her bodily through the flying debris and, occasionally, flying people and/or various animated pieces of furniture. Grinning maniacally, Gaston fought his way past a sword-wielding chair to LeFou, who was furiously attempting to put out a rather quickly-spreading fire on the seat of his pants.

"LeFou!" Gaston hollered, seizing LeFou by the front of his shirt and slamming him down into a passing bucket of water. LeFou sighed, going limp with relief, only to be seized once more by Gaston and hauled nearly five feet off the floor to come face to face with the wild-eyed hunter. "The fight is over! Get everyone back to town!" Gaston released LeFou, who promptly fell to the floor and landed on an unfortunate sibling of Chip's. LeFou's jaw dropped as he stared after Gaston, already retreating with the still furiously struggling Belle. After a moment, LeFou managed to clamor back to his feet, cupping his hands to his mouth as he shouted,

"The Beast is dead! The Beast is dead! Follow Gaston!" There was a general cry of excitement and a few scattered cheers for Gaston (cut short by the castle servants who were clearly determined to finish what they'd started) and the majority of the hunting party quickly turned tail, streaming out the remnants of the castle doors to follow their victorious leader back through the woods.

Outside, Gaston had already flung a sobbing Belle onto the back of his black horse, swinging himself up behind her and gripping her tightly around the waist as his horse whinnied and reared slightly at the commotion around it.

"Let me go! I need to help Beast!" Belle clawed at Gaston's arms, merely earning her a maniacal laugh from her captor.

"Everyone, back to Molyneaux!" Gaston hollered over the crowd. The hunting party gave a collective cheer of excitement, those still in possession of a horse galloping full-speed back through the woods to the village. As the last of them sped past Gaston and Belle, Gaston's grin faded until his face had contorted into a sickening leer. Belle gasped as he seized her by the arms, wrenching her halfway around in her seat to face him and moving his face to within an inch of her own.

"I kept my promise." He whispered dangerously, his eyes flashing as another bolt of lightening flashed across the sky. His hair had come undone from its usual slicked-back ponytail and was flying around his face with the winds, only serving to make him look more insane than ever. Belle stopped her struggles, fear flashing across her countenance.

"What do you want me to do?" Belle croaked, her voice sore from crying and her repeated, fruitless protests. Gaston smiled.

"You'll know soon enough." With that, Gaston gave a loud yell, and his horse gave a loud cry of its own as it reared, then sped off after the rest of the villagers. Belle could only sit there in silence as she wondered just what horrible surprise Gaston had in store for her.

Back inside the castle, Lumiere was struggling to free himself from a suit of armor he had been rather unceremoniously shoved into by an angry baker. One of his candle arms was cracked slightly, and he had a strange feeling that part of his face had gone AWOL. Around him, various servants were flopping, hopping or sliding around the room in search of fallen comrades and missing 'body' parts. There was a crash below him, and Lumiere glanced down in time to see a large bowl (thankfully non-living) come flying at his face. The bowl met its mark, slamming Lumiere's head backwards into the helmet of the suit of armor and knocking him several inches to the left. Lumiere let out a cry of protest intermingled with several well-chosen French words as the bowl once again flew towards his face, this time dislodging him from the armor's helmet and sending him crashing into a pile on the floor. To add insult to injury, the bowl immediately decided to come to terms with gravity, striking Lumiere in the head with a magnificent tinkling sound as it shattered into several pieces. Lumiere swore, rubbing gingerly at his rather battered head.

"Well, I must say, you could show some degree of appreciation." Cogsworth grumbled, dusting glass powder from Lumiere's shoulders as Lumiere struggled to his feet. Lumiere brushed him off rather brusquely, frowning.

"For what? Throwing bowls at my head? Yes, my dear Cogsworth, to you, I am eternally grateful." Lumiere gave a mock bow, glaring daggers at the clock as he turned and hopped a few paces towards the center of the room. Cogsworth followed along behind him, huffing rather indignantly.

"That's all the thanks I get. Sarcasm, nothing but sarcasm." Lumiere rolled his eyes, hopping several small piles of debris and taking center stage on an upturned chair.

"Everyone! Listen!" The various pieces of furniture still wriggling or hopping about the castle entryway ignored the candelabra, grumbling to themselves or calling out worriedly to friends. Lumiere frowned and tried again.

"All of you! Listen to me!" Lumiere shouted, louder this time, but to no avail. Cogsworth climbed up next to him, took an indignant breath and screamed,

"Silence!" Everyone in the room froze in their tracks, turning to face the mismatched pair perched rather precariously on top of the chair. Cogsworth cleared his throat.

"Thank you. Now, is everyone all accounted for?" His gaze swept around the room at the damage. "Mrs. Potts?"

"Over here, love." Mrs. Potts sighed wearily from a few feet to Cogsworth's left, supporting a rather bedraggled Chip against her scratched side as she sagged slightly. Cogsworth nodded.

"Babette? Jean? Claude? Jean-Claude?" This continued for several minutes, each servant calling out some sort of acknowledgement as they were named. Satisfied that everyone was indeed accounted for and in relatively one piece, Cogsworth nodded in a rather satisfied manner, puffing out his chest once more.

"Now, as I believe we can all agree, the first thing we need to do is-"

"What happened to Belle?" Chip interrupted, hopping away from his mother's side and stopping at the foot - or head, in this case - of Cogsworth and Lumiere's upside-down stage. There was a general outcry of agreement as Cogsworth frowned and coughed into his hand, looking around rather distractedly.

"Well, I... that is, we..."

"She has been kidnapped by that scoundrel, Gassy!" Lumiere shouted, pushing Cogsworth to one side as he took center stage.

"Gaston!" Someone in the back called. Lumiere nodded.

"Thank you, Jean-Claude. Belle has been kidnapped by that scoundrel, Gaston!" There was an immediate outburst of rather rude proportions pertaining to Gaston at this, and Mrs. Potts audibly gasped as Chip's eyes widened in horror.

"What about the master?" Mrs. Potts whispered, hopping slowly towards Lumiere. There was dead silence in the room. "What's happened to him?"

Everyone was silent as Lumiere stared vaguely off towards the grand staircase, his brow furrowed with worry.

"We have to do something!" Chip yelled, hopping madly in the direction of the stairs. Mrs. Potts hurriedly blocked his way, exchanging worried glances with Cogsworth as Lumiere continued to stare off into space.

"I, heh, heh... don't believe that would be such a good idea.." Cogsworth started, clearing his throat awkwardly as he waddled towards Chip. Chip looked up at him in horror.

"He... he's not... dead, is he?" Cogsworth stared at Chip for a moment, his mouth open as if to speak."

"Chip..." Mrs. Potts began soothingly, her eyes brimming with tears. ''Maybe now isn't the time to-"

"Everyone!" Mrs. Potts stopped, the entire room looking about with some confusion in an attempt to locate who had spoken.

"Over here!" The room's attention slowly turned to the top of the staircase, where a rather battered pail was dancing about excitedly.

"Hurry, everyone! Hurry!" The pail clattered off down the hallway amidst cries of protest.

"What's going on?"

"What happened?"

"Is it the master?"

"Has anyone seen my foot?"

It was a strange sight indeed as the servants all clamored after the leading pail, Lumiere and Cogsworth at the head of the pack as they tore down the hall to the west wing. The pail came to an abrupt stop outside Beast's bedroom, nearly being bowled over by the enthusiastic crowd gathered around him.

"In here!" Lumiere sidled past the pail, peering into the dark, decrepit room. At the far end, the doors to the balcony had been flung open, rain streaming in and soaking the carpet to nothing more than a slightly cushy puddle. Lumiere gasped, hopping over to the huddled mass lying in a crumpled heap halfway into the room. Carefully, Lumiere blew out one hand, resting it gently against the Beast's neck. Everyone watched in anticipation as he frowned for a moment, then loudly exclaimed,

"The master is alive!" Everyone cheered at this proclamation, Mrs. Potts sighing with relief as Cogsworth released his breath, slumping against the doorway.

"Quickly, we need to get him inside!" Those still in possession of arm-like appendages immediately rushed forward, all available spaces along the Beast's blood-soaked form crowded by the animated furniture.

"On the count of three!" Everyone grabbed at Beast, carefully attempting to avoid any wounds.

"One! Two! Three!" There was a collective heave from the servants as they all tugged at Beast's weary form. Beast released a small groan, but didn't move.

"Again!" Lumiere shouted, grabbing at a remnant of Beast's cloak. "One! Two!"

"Wait!" Everyone froze, turning to look at Chip, who was desperately hopping at the base of a small, ancient table.

"What is it, Chip?" Lumiere followed Chip's desperate gaze, his mouth going slack. Beside him, Cogsworth groaned.

There on the table lay the last of the rose's petals, a dead, frail stem lying forlornly in their midst. There was a silent wave of horror and grief as, one by one, each servant realized their fate. After a moment, Lumiere frowned, drawing himself back up to his full height.

"Enough!" The gathered servants reluctantly tore their eyes from the rose to look at their determined leader. "We do not have time for this! Now, on the count of three!"

The servants resumed their posts around Beast once more, determination once more invading their features. Lumiere, however, did not move.

"Lumiere! The count, remember?" Babette called, hopping towards him curiously. She frowned worriedly at his stunned expression, following his gaze to the open balcony doors.

"Lumiere, was is-" She stopped, emitting a loud shriek as everyone turned in awe to the glowing spectacle pervading the balcony.

There, her expression grim, was the enchantress.


	3. Chapter Three

The ride back to Molyneaux had been the longest and most depressing trip of Belle's life. As they neared her cottage, Gaston suddenly hauled the horse to a dead stop, nearly jolting Belle from the saddle. Wordlessly, Gaston slipped from the saddle, frowning off through the trees for several moments before allowing himself a wicked grin, which quickly vanished as he turned to sneer up at Belle, still atop the horse.

''Don't even think about running.'' He growled, tying his horse to a nearby oak before striding off through the dense forest. After some hesitation, Belle slipped off the horse, which immediately whipped its head around to face her, its eyes gleaming as if to relay the same, cold warning as its master. Belle shivered despite herself, crouching down at the base of the oak and burying her face in her hands.

'How could I let this happen?' She though bitterly, a few stray tears trailing down her cheeks. She furiously wiped them away, cringing slightly as Gaston's horse released an anxious whinny. She would not allow Gaston the satisfaction of seeing her like this.

'Gaston...' Belle's heart sank as she leaned against the tree, her eyes unfocused. What could he possibly have in store for her? She shivered as a gust of cold wind swept through the woods, biting her lip in thought. She had humiliated Gaston in front of the entire village. If there was anything Belle was still sure about, it was that Gaston would not let her off easily, though his supposed conquest over Beast may serve as a slight buffer to her torment.

'Beast! Oh, God...' What would happen to him without her? Belle's eyes filled with tears once more as she released a small sob. There was no way he could survive his attack. No one in the castle had the means or ability to save him from the wounds Gaston had inflicted, even if one of the servants had once possessed some medical skill. After all, what good was a doctor if they'd been turned into an enchanted hairbrush?

Belle let out a gasp as a cold, hard hand gripped her about the forearm, pulling her rather rudely from her thoughts as Gaston hauled her to her feet once more, shoving her back towards the saddle. Belle stumbled slightly, gripping the reins for balance as she half-turned to face Gaston, who looked rather pleased with himself.

"Good little Belle. You're coming along quite nicely to taking orders." Gaston sneered. He had tied his hair back once more, and, Belle noticed with some satisfaction, a single deep, bloody claw mark had been inflicted on his right shoulder. She turned back towards the saddle to avoid Gaston's gaze, climbing clumsily back up onto the horse and tensing as Gaston hauled himself up behind her. Gaston released a cry of encouragement to the horse as he urged it onward, momentarily forgetting that he had tied the steed to the nearest oak and earning himself a nice swat in the head as the tether broke, inertia taking over the straining branch. Had she seen this, Belle probably would have laughed herself silly, but as it was, her thoughts were far from her current surroundings.

"Where are we going?" She finally ventured, rather timidly, to her disgust. Gaston grinned to himself.

"Don't worry, darling. You'll see soon enough." Belle sighed, trying her best to hold onto some small shred of hope. So far, she wasn't having much luck.

After a few minutes of galloping wildly and seemingly blindly through the woods, the trees began to thin and Belle was able to make out the roof tops of the village center. They tore through the edge of the trees, Gaston letting out a triumphant battle call as they sped towards the fountain at the center of Molyneaux, where the villagers had all gathered to celebrate Gaston's 'victory'. Beaming madly at the various cheers and congratulations from the townsfolk, Gaston raised a hand to silence the staunch of conversation and beamed at his admirers.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The Beast is dead!" A great cry arose at this announcement, Belle's eyes stinging as she fought to keep a neutral expression. After reveling in the attention for several minutes, Gaston once more raised his hand for silence.

"Thank you, thank you!" He called, still grinning madly from ear to ear. "But I could not have done it without such noble men at my side!" This statement was met with an onslaught of praise, ranging from 'That's our Gaston, always so generous!' to 'Isn't he wonderful?' to 'Did his horse just do what think it did on my fruit cart?!" Belle flinched as Gaston's free arm suddenly snaked around her waist, followed by a cruel hiss in her ear.

"Time to pay up, Beauty." Gaston slipped from his horse, hauling Belle along after him and yanking her up onto the edge of the fountain beside him, ignoring her cry of pain at his unrelenting grip on her wrist.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, another happy announcement!" Here, Gaston paused for effect, all eyes staring intently up at him in sheer amazement that the night could possibly get any better.

"Belle," Gaston said slowly and clearly, enjoying the effect on his admirers. ''Has agreed to become my wife!"

"No!" Belle shrieked as the townsfolk erupted once more into cheers. Gaston squeezed her wrist in warning as his eyes flashed.

"Careful, Belle. I know someone who's simply dying to meet your father." Belle felt all her remaining energy slip away as her head spun, now too angry even for tears to come. After a moment, Gaston's grip loosened slightly, and she sank to a sitting position at the fountain's edge.

"Look at Belle! She's so happy, she's swooning!" Some poor, misguided creature at the back of the crowd yelled, pointing in Belle's general direction. This comment was quickly accompanied by a number of jeers and catcalls, none serving to make Belle feel any more hopeful about her situation.

"Just wait until the honeymoon! Then she'll really be weak!" Someone shrieked over the crowd, which immediately erupted into renewed applause and jeers. Belle buried her face in her hands once more, a single tear sliding down her cheek and dripping mournfully onto her filthy, blood-stained skirt. Gaston jumped down from his stage, gripping Belle once more by the arm and hauling her to her feet as he snaked his arms around her waist and planted a disgustingly wet kiss straight onto her mouth. Belle gagged as he released her, one arm still gripping hers tightly.

"We shall marry in three days' time, and you're all invited!" Gaston shouted, the crowd erupting with enthusiasm once more. "We'll see you then! Dover's Creek, one o'clock sharp!" With a final cry of approval - the only exception a particularly loud sob from one of the triplets - the crowd began to disperse, several well-wishers striding up to shake Gaston's hand before disappearing off in the direction of their own homes. When the last of them had gone, Gaston's smile vanished, both of his hard, calloused hands gripping Belle's forearms like a steel trap.

"Three days, Belle." Gaston sneered, his face within an inch of her own as she cringed in his vice-like grip. "And then you're all mine." Gaston leered at her for a moment before kissing her once more, this time allowing Belle to pull away in revulsion as he laughed triumphantly.

"Until then, my Beauty!" He cackled, swinging himself up into the saddle of his horse and galloping away as the sun began to peek over the horizon. Belle watched him go, feeling weak with humiliation and sorrow. The sound of shuffling footsteps and loud, ragged breathing suddenly reached her ears as a large, soft hand rested gently on Belle's own. Startled, she spun around to face the wide, terrified eyes of her father. Her eyes grew wide as they teared up once more, a small shred of joy flooding through her at the sight of a friendly face.

"Oh, Papa!" Belle sobbed, collapsing to the cobblestone streets as Maurice knelt down beside her. Gently, he stroked Belle's hair away from her face, a sad smile playing on his lips.

"Come on, Belle. Let's get you home." Maurice whispered, rested one hand gently against her tear-stained cheek. Wordlessly, Belle nodded, climbing rather clumsily to her feet and sobbing as she leaned against her father, the pair casting a melancholy shadow against the landscape as they slowly made their way home.


	4. Chapter Four

Beast wasn't sure what was worse.

In one night, he'd lost the woman he loved, had been attacked and beaten to within an inch of his life by some deranged hunter, then had gotten the love of his life back, only to lose her again to said deranged hunter.

A blinding flash of light momentarily appeared somewhere in the vicinity of the still-open balcony doors, and a small, warm hand came to rest gently on the blood-matted fur at his neck in what was presumably meant to be a comforting gesture. Beast managed to crack one eye open just long enough to see something - or rather, someone - he really wished he hadn't.

'Okay. This is definitely the worst.'

"Hello, Adam."

Growling, Beast jerked his head sideways, dislodging the hand he now knew to belong to the hated Enchantress from his neck, but also sending another wave of pain through his body. He heard the Enchantress 'tut' as he released a whine of agony, much to his pride's annoyance. He felt the Enchantress move away, and after a moment, barely audibly, he heard her whisper something soft and low. It was unlike any language he'd ever heard.

There was another flash of light, only this time, it seemed to be soaking into him rather than fading. Beast felt his pain slowly melt away as his body began to grow light and contort.

If this was death, it was more than welcome.

"Open your eyes, Adam." The Enchantress' command left no room for negotiation. He obeyed without hesitation, and realized to his shock that he was human again.

Well, not completely human. Although he was in human shape, he seemed to be...incorporeal, like a ghost. What trickery was this?

Beast fixed the Enchantress with the most withering glare he could muster, given his all-too-present fear that she would turn him into something worse than before if he angered her again. The Enchantress merely returned his look with a small, sad smile and knelt beside his defeated body.

"This may take some time to heal," she stated, lifting one of the Beast's - as Adam saw it, for it certainly no longer belonged to himself - paws. His fitful glare was quickly replaced with a look of awe as the cuts crisscrossing across the paw's surface glowed a dim red and faded under the Enchantress' touch.

"What do you want with me?" Adam muttered, and was surprised to realize that he had spoken aloud. The Enchantress gave him a sympathetic smile as she rose to nearly match his own height. Adam vaguely registered that she seemed to be floating, and, with a start, realized that he was also hovering several inches above his ex-body. Adam made a valiant effort not to be the first to blink as he and the Enchantress merely stared at each other for several tense moments, before the Enchantress sighed in what could almost pass as defeat.

"I fear I owe you an apology, your highness," she whispered, casting a sorry glance at the broken form at her feet.

If it were even possible, Adam nearly fell out the air. Had the Enchantress just apologized to him? Not only that, but acknowledged his royalty?

The Enchantress made a small motion in the direction of the body of the Beast, and it rose into the air, limp as a ragdoll, stopping to hover next to Adam, who cringed at the sight of the Beast's dead eyes. With an effort, he managed to return his gaze to that of the Enchantress, who shook her head slightly with a small air of amusement.

"Because, dear Prince, things did not go as I had planned." She stared thoughtfully at the Beast, and Adam was vaguely aware of a numbing sensation in his own - what, form? - as the damage to the Beast's body was healed. The sense of shock and fear that had pervaded his body since the Enchantress' arrival was suddenly torn violently from him to be replaced with overwhelming anger.

"What do you mean, 'not according to plan'?" Adam spat, moving slightly towards the unflinching Enchantress. ''Making me suffer for nearly 100 years, giving me only a small shred of hope and tearing it away for eternity as I got to watch the only woman I've ever loved being dragged away as I died wasn't enough for you?" He shook with rage throughout his tirade, gesturing wildly from the Beast's limp form to the dead rose in the glass cover and the mirror he'd given Belle, which now lay broken on the floor.

The Enchantress merely stared at him, and for a moment, Adam longed with all his being to wipe the horrible look of pity from her face. The Enchantress moved to the body of the Beast and touched it gently, almost lovingly, over his broken heart.

"No," she whispered. Adam stared at her back, and as she turned to face him, he was almost alarmed to see the mixed look of contrition and anger in her countenance as she turned back to face him. "None of this was supposed to happen."

Adam snorted. "None?" He quickly snapped his mouth shut as the Enchantress shot him a withering look and spoke once more, her voice no longer soft and melodic.

"I had not counted on Gaston," she admitted, shaking her head in annoyance. "Even we can not always see everything the future holds."

Adam stared once more at the Beast's form, letting this information sink in and trying to ignore the thought that there might be more Enchantresses floating around somewhere to torture him.

"So..." he said after a minute, clearing his throat slightly as he glanced at the Enchantress out of the corner of his eye. "What does all this mean, exactly?"

The Enchantress gave him a smug half-smile and sighed deeply. "I suppose..." She sighed once more, giving him a slow look from head to foot. "It means you get another chance."

Adam's spectral stomach gave a lurch as his jaw dropped. The Enchantress held up a hand as he started to speak.

"On one condition." Adam snapped his mouth shut, staring at her expectantly. The Enchantress summoned her wand out of the air, causing one of the nearby servants-turned-kettle to boil himself, much to his embarrassment.

"You have only three days."

The anger returned to Adam with enough force to capsize a small ship.

"What?!" Adam shouted, moving threateningly towards the Enchantress. "What good is that going to do? Belle is gone! I don't even know where he's taken her! How am I supposed to find and win her over in only three days?" Adam stopped only when his face was a mere fraction of an inch from the Enchantress' own, his mind reeling as he struggled to understand how the Enchantress could possibly be so idiotic.

The Enchantress merely smiled. "I don't believe you give yourself enough credit, your highness.'' She paused for a moment, her expression thoughtful. "Or Belle, for that matter."

Adam gave her a blank stare.

"B-but... how... what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he floundered, his fear and confusion becoming all too evident in his pleading gaze. The Enchantress merely moved away a few paces in response, frowning slightly as she held her wand aloft and whispered,

"Return."

Adam felt the same agonizing pain he'd felt the night he'd first been cursed by the Enchantress as his spirit suddenly began to contort once more and re-merged with the body of the Beast. An ear-splitting roar echoed through every inch of the castle as he fell to the floor, and a blinding flash lit the sky as the Enchantress' voice echoed in his ears.

"Remember, Adam." Beast groaned as his body became heavy and his sight faded once more.

"Three days."


	5. Chapter Five

The sun had already begun to rise by the time Belle and Maurice reached their cottage once more. Only vaguely aware of her own movements, Belle sank into a chair at their small table and stared blankly off into space. She jumped as she felt something fall across her shoulders and spun to face her attacker, only to meet the rather meek face of her father.

''You were shivering." Maurice whispered timidly, attempting to muster a small smile for his daughter's benefit. Belle nodded numbly in acknowledgement to her father's observation, and promptly burst into renewed tears as she buried her face in her arms.

"There, there... I'm sure everything will be..." Maurice struggled to find an appropriate word. "... functional." Belle released a shaky laugh at her father's failed attempts at comfort and straightened up in her chair, wiping feebly at her red-rimmed eyes.

"Oh, Papa...what am I going to do?" Belle whispered,fumbling with the fringe of the blanket Maurice had draped across her shoulders. She felt so cold...

Maurice wearily sank into the chair next to Belle's, his old age apparent in every crease of his brow.

"Well... I suppose..." Maurice thought for a moment, making his customary 'hmm'-ing noise as he did so. "You do have three days to make your escape..." Maurice trailed off momentarily, his features contorting into a look of confusion. "Though I can't think for the life of me why Gaston would leave off on the wedding for so long... Arrogant pig that he is... you'd think he'd want to marry immediately..."

Belle sighed, burying her face in one hand as the other clutched her blanket more tightly across her shoulders. "Don't give him any ideas, Papa. As for the... wedding..." Belle fought down the urge to vomit, "he probably just wants to make sure it's the largest and most pompous affair he can contrive. And you know I'm not leaving you!" This final addition was forceful enough to make Maurice flash Belle a small smile.

"That's my Belle...justas stubborn as your mother..." Maurice laid one hand on Belle's arm as Belle gave Maurice the small ghost of a smile. The tender moment was soon interrupted, however, by the sound of a strong, hard hammering on the front door. Both Belle and Maurice gasped as Gaston's voice chimed in with the ruckus.

"Belle! Open this door immediately!" Gaston sounded victorious as the hammering continued. Belle cast a terrified look at Maurice as she squeezed his hand.

"Belle," Maurice began, glancing towards the front door where the hammering had grown louder, "you don't need to-" he trailed off as Belle scurried across the cottage to open the door before Gaston called back the villagers to knock it down.

The moment Belle unlocked the door, Gaston flung it wide open, startling Belle into stumbling backwards into a chair. Gaston flashed her an almost obscene grin as he strode past her, slamming the door shut behind him and taking Belle's vacated seat at the kitchen table. Maurice was wearing an obstinate look of irritation.

"So, Pops, I'm sure there's no hard feelings?" Gaston cooed, flashing what would have been a winning smile to anyone else in Maurice's direction. Maurice flushed a deep puce and opened his mouth to say something, only to be cut off by Belle.

"What do you want, Gaston?" Belle's voice was hard and cold as she stood rigidly by the front door. Gaston's grin faded as he narrowed his eyes and strode over to stand face-to-face with Belle. Belle raised her chin defiantly, silently challenging Gaston, who smirked and clumsily moved in to kiss Belle, only to fall forward as Belle dodged out of the way. Belle and Gaston stared at each other for one tense moment, before Belle suddenly found herself lying flat on the floor as she clutched at the stinging outline of a large hand print burning on her cheek.

"Belle!" Maurice toppled his chair as he scrambled to her side, pushing Belle's hands away in order to see the damage Gaston had inflicted. He rounded on Gaston, all three and a half feet of him brimming with anger that nearly glowed from every pore.

"You monster!" Maurice spat, earning nothing but another sly grin from Gaston. "If you think you have any permission to marry my daughter, you...you-"

Gaston burst into uncontrollable laughter as Maurice stared dumbly at the maniac before him. Gaston pushed Maurice aside, grabbing Belle by the wrist and roughly hauling her to her feet.

"This is only a taste of what you will experience if you ever think of disobeying me again." Gaston tightened his grip on Belle's wrist and pulled her closer to his chest as he sneered, his breath already rank with congratulatory whiskey, no doubt donated by the celebrating villagers. "Do you understand?"

Belle stared dumbly at Gaston for a moment, feeling as though she had been thrown into a thick, strangling fog from which she could not possibly hope to escape. She felt herself nod, and Gaston released her. Striding for the door, Gaston suddenly stopped and tossed a small bag of gold onto the cottage floor.

"Your dowry." Gaston burst into raucus laughter once more as he flung the cottage door wide and strode into the night,stumbling slightly in his drunken stupor as he made his way down the stairs. Maurice stared at the gold coins spilling from the bag on their floor in stunned silence for a moment, then made a sound of disgust and looked up to Belle, only to realize she had run after Gaston. Confused, Maurice made his way cautiously to the front door and gazed out at the scene before him.

"Gaston!" Belle stumbled slightly as she dashed after the hunter's retreating back, her mind spinning with fear and the frailest trace of remaining hope. Gaston turned slowly and cocked one perfectly shaped eyebrow in Belle's direction.

"The Beast-" Belle began, but stopped as Gaston's face went disturbingly blank, a gleam of suspicion in his eyes.

"I..." Belle struggled for a moment, nearly losing her nerve before blurting out, "I wish to go bury him."

Gaston blinked once in confusion as Belle held her breath. If Gaston agreed, she could go back to the castle, hide her father, find Beast, find...

'What, help?' Belle's inner monologue chastised. 'How are talking wardrobes and teakettles going to improve this situation? By posing as china at your wedding and attacking the guests?' Belle momentarily entertained the notion of a plate delivering a round-house whack to Gaston's head before wrenching herself back into reality. Gaston appeared to have sobered up substantially and was glaring back and forth between Belle and the vague outline of Maurice in the cottage doorway.

"Why?" Gaston ventured, drawing out the 'y' as if wondering if he should be attempting to deal with Belle in a less-than-clear-minded state. Belle's mind raced as her expression became unreadable.

"I..." Belle paused, breaking eye-contact with Gaston in order to hide the tears once more welling up in her eyes. "I want to pay my last respects." Belle forced her tears away, glancing up at Gaston and blurting out, ''I'll return in time for the..." She trailed off, the strength in her voice failing, "for the wedding."

Gaston seemed to mull this over for a moment, one hand rubbing vaguely at his chin as he considered.

"Stupid animal's dead..." Gaston muttered, ''s'not like he can hide her or anything... might be funny..." Belle tensed as Gaston continued murmuring to himself, trying to find a loophole Belle could exploit in order to get away from her agreement.

"Fine." Gaston's voice cut into Belle like a knife, releasing an almost painful rush of hope and happiness that threatened to consume her. "But-" Gaston quickly added, "your father stays here."

Belle floundered for a moment, struggling for words.

"But... but how can I-" Belle gazed pleadingly up at Gaston, all caution thrown to the wind. "I can't bury the Beast all by myself in only three days! I need help!"

"You need-" Gaston hissed, stepping towards Belle with startling fury in his face, "to obey your future husband. You can have your three days to bury your beloved Beast, but you'll do it alone. And -" Gaston spun to face Belle's cottage, his finger aiming in the vague direction of Maurice's form outlined in the doorway, "if you do not return, I will personally see to it that your father never sees the light of day again."

Belle gazed at her father for several long moments, tears flooding her vision once more as her body grew weak. What if Beast really was dead? What if she wasn't able to find help, or the wolves attacked again and she never made it back to Molyneux? What would become of her father?

For one moment, Belle faltered. Maurice flung open the door to the cottage, striding forward to confront Gaston.

"You have a deal." Belle gasped as Maurice thrust a hand out towards Gaston,who stared at it in vage confusion for several moments before releasing a roar of laughter and shaking it roughly.

"Done!" Maurice's hand slumped to his side as Gaston released his grip and strode the last fifteen feet to his horse, swinging easily up into the saddle and blowing a kiss to Belle with another laugh as his horse reared.

"Remember, Belle! Three days!" With that, Gaston was gone.

Belle rounded on Maurice the moment Gaston had faded from view, fear tearing at her heart with every passing moment.

"Papa, what are you doing? What if something goes wrong, what if I can't get back? What if-"

"Belle." Belle stopped short as Maurice calmly interrupted her tirade and grasped her hands in his own. "All my life, even before you were born, I've always sworn to myself that I would always do what was best for my children." Maurice paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Life with Gaston is nowhere near anything I had ever hoped or planned for you."

Belle stared at Maurice in silence, hating herself for failing to come up with a response.

"If you find that castle, and Beast is still alive... I want the two of you to go. Far, far away, and do not. Come. Back." Maurice's voice had grown stronger, and he hurried on before Belle, face flushed and eyes wide, could interrupt.

"That goes double for if the Beast is dead. Gaston may not know it, but it's entirely possible he's given us both our freedom." Seeing the look of confusion on Belle's face, Maurice reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out the gold Gaston had thrown to the cottage floor only minutes before.

"There isn't much in here, but it might be just enough to convince that horrible Monsieur D'Arque to release me." Maurice pocketed the coins once more and gazed earnestly into Belle's face. "Don't worry about me, Belle. I've lived a good life."

Belle was silent for a moment, then threw herself into Maurice's arms, hugging him tightly around the neck. Maurice stumbled slightly under Belle's weight, but smiled softly, gently stroking Belle's hair as she clung to him.

"You had better go." Maurice said, patting Belle gently on the back. "The sun's almost up, and you'll need all the time you can get." Maurice pulled away from Belle's embrace, gently wiping a few stray tears from Belle's cheek as she smiled feebly.

Within a quarter of an hour, Belle had gathered her cloak, a worn map and Phillipe's riding equipment and was ready to set out. Phillipe stamped impatiently as Belle gave one last goodbye to her father.

"I love you, Papa." Belle whispered, silently adding to herself, 'and I will come back'. Maurice smiled up at her once, a knowing gleam in his eyes. He patted Phillipe's flank, and Belle was carried off into the woods, leaping an oddly LeFou-shaped hedge as she disappeared along the trail. Maurice chuckled to himself as LeFou emerged from the bushes, rubbing a spot on his forehead where Phillipe's hooves had clocked him.

"Serves you right, you little lackey... spying on us, hmph..." With that, Maurice turned and hobbled back into the cottage, shutting out the world as he closed the door and LeFou hurried off to report to Gaston.


	6. Chapter Six

Beast had never known so much agony in his life. Not even his first transformation into the Beast had been as horrifyingly painful as the past twenty-four hours, both mentally and physically. Blind hope was the last thing he'd needed.

The few hours between the Enchantress' visit and sunrise passed by in a hazy blur, the sky outside the Beast's broken bedroom windows slowly growing from a dull, rain-threatening purple to an almost painfully bright gold. Every muscle in his body screamed out in protest as he tried to sit up.

"Where... Belle..." Beast managed to mumble, the room swaying as he struggled to his feet with the aid of his headboard. There was a small 'tut' from somewhere to Beast's left, followed by the familiar, muffled sound of Mrs. Potts hopping across the floor.

"Shh, Master, you must be still, you're not yet healed! The enchantress said-"

"I know what she said!" Beast growled, interrupting Mrs. Potts motherly scolding and trying to block out his pain. The room suddenly seemed to tilt violently, and Beast's knees gave out, sending him sprawling painfully to the floor in a tumble of bed sheets and the torn remnants of his clothing from the previous night.

Beast's last moment of consciousness was spent wondering how he had gotten into his bed in the first place. Then everything went black.

 

Belle felt half-dead by the time she spotted the familiar, gleaming towers of Beast's castle. In the golden sunshine, it was hard to believe that such a place could have ever housed such stormy and horrific events as those that had taken place only the night before. At the moment, however, the past was the least of Belle's concerns.

Belle dismounted Phillipe, staring up at the castle walls as Phillipe automatically wandered off towards the castle stable. For several moments, Belle's limbs refused to obey her mental commands to step any closer to the castle, let alone enter it. Misery washed over Belle like a tidal wave, and she felt tears once again beginning to build behind her eyes. With a cry of despair, Belle suddenly vaulted through the front doors, hurling herself mindlessly along the dark, deserted corridors until she reached the west wing and came to a dead stop once more.

Slowly, Belle reached up to the Beast's door, silently bracing herself for the worst. In an instant, Belle had swung the door open and stepped softly into the room. She could not stand any more suspense.

Belle's eyes immediately swept across the debris scattered throughout the room, from the mangled furniture, to the shattered windows and down to the pools of water slowly seeping through the carpet, a sickening red tinge betraying where Beast had lain in agony. As Belle's gaze fell on the huddled form at the edge of Beast's bed, she stifled a shriek and slapped both of her hands over her mouth.

 

Beast flinched as a weight suddenly flung itself bodily into him, its hands probing gently first at his neck, then at his face, chest, and each of the individual, painful physicals reminders of his battle with Gaston. Beast begged his body to move away from this newcomer, only to find that his body was, in reality, moving closer to this new person, instead. Annoyed at his own inability to control his movements, Beast released a dull cross between a growl and a groan, struggling to focus his vision on his attacker's face.

"Beast..." Belle sobbed, throwing her arms around Beast's and burying her face in his furry cheek. Sobs wracked her body as Beast's mind reeled, elation and confusion fighting for dominance of his emotions.

"Belle..." Beast managed to utter, forcing one paw to raise up and gently come to rest against Belle's hair. Belle broke away from her embrace with Beast's neck, half laughing and half sobbing as she took Beast's paw in both of her own hands and smiled. "How...how did you..."

"Shhh," Belle whispered, now cradling Beast's paw against her cheek. "It's alright. I'm here now. Everything's going to be alright." Belle gently placed Beast's paw back onto the floor and climbed to her feet, glancing around frantically for any large pieces of enchanted furniture that might be able to help her relocate Beast.

"Can you stand?" Belle whispered, kneeling once more by Beast's face. With a groan, Beast managed to roll away from the torn bed sheets wrapped around his torso, and propped himself up on his hands and knees before collapsing to the floor once again. Belle gave an audible gasp and reached out to help, but Beast merely growled her away and propped himself up once more, this time managing to get a good grip on the side of his bed before his legs gave out once again. Releasing a moan of despair and with more than a bit of embarrassment at his own weakness, Beast began to slide back down onto the floor, only to feel Belle catch him beneath the arm to prevent him from going any further. With a deep grunt on Belle's part and a low growl from Beast, the two managed to stand Beast upright just long enough for him to fall sideways onto his bed. Beast released a cry of pain as his elbow and a broken rib made contact underneath his body's weight, causing Beast to automatically thrash and twist dangerously close to the edge of the bed. Belle darted to Beast's side, acting as a feeble barrier between Beast and Gravity as she tried to calm Beast down.

"What is it? Where does it hurt?" Belle gasped. Beast blearily glanced up at Belle's red, sweat-covered face, guilt wracking his nerves as he realized how much strain she had gone through by merely helping him into bed.

"My...Ribs. Cracked..." Beast groaned, his paws clutching at the dull ache in his side. Gently, Belle reached over, gently probing at Beast's ribs. Beast released an ear-splitting roar as Belle's fingers came into contact with the crack, and Belle jumped away, startled, as Beast automatically thrashed out at her outstretched hands in retaliation. There was a brief moment of tense silence in which Beast felt his stomach do several flips with guilt.

''I'm...sorry... I didn't mean to-" Beast gasped, only to be silenced by Belle as she lay one hand gently against his mouth. She smiled weakly down at Beast as her vision began to blur with tears. She fought them down and straightened up, moving to the doorway.

"Mrs. Potts?" Belle took a few hesitant steps down the hallway, not wanting to leave Beast alone. "Is anyone here? Hello?" Belle halted fifteen feet from the door, raising her voice. After a moment, the sound of multiple hops began emanating from down a nearby stairwell.

"Belle?" Belle's heart leaped as she recognized the voice of Mrs. Potts.

"Mrs. Potts! I'm so glad to see you!" Belle knelt down in order to greet her friend face-to-face, wishing with all her heart to hug the dear woman who had been so kind to her during her stay at the castle. Mrs. Potts looked absolutely elated to see Belle, as did Cogsworth and Lumiere, who had been tagging along behind her.

"Mademoiselle, we are happy to see you again! How ever did you escape from that scoundrel, Gustav?"

"Gaston," Mrs. Potts corrected lightly, then smiled and shook herself. "But you poor dear! How did you get back to us so quickly?" The three servants crowded closer to Belle, keen interest in their expressions. Belle smiled, happy to be surrounded by her friends once more.

"I'll explain later. For now, could you help me with Beast? I think..." Belle trailed off, glancing nervously back towards Beast's bedroom. "He's badly injured." Belle turned back to Mrs. Potts, who wore a look of absolute amazement.

"My goodness! How silly of us. Cogsworth, you fetch Jean-Claude, tell him we need him in the west wing immediately. Lumiere,you find chip, and tell him to bring some towels up here this instant. I'll go fetch some warm water." With mock salutes, Cogsworth and Lumiere scuttled off to fulfil their duties, as Mrs. Potts smiled warmly up at Belle. "It's so wonderful to see you." She whispered, and with that, she was off. Belle watched her go, smiling to herself as the sound of ' hopping form faded off into distant echoes. Belle slowly stood up, her knees aching and her head spinning slightly as a reminder that she had not slept in over twenty-four hours. Keeping one hand against the wall for support, Belle made her way back to Beast's room, careful to regain her sense of balance before re-entering the room. On the bed, Beast was breathing slowly and unevenly, wincing as each breath jarred his cracked ribs. Belle quietly slipped over to his side and laid one hand against Beast's forehead, frowning.

"I think you may have a fever," Belle murmured, more to herself than to Beast. Beast blearily opened his eyes, struggling to focus on Belle's face. Slowly, one paw raised uncertainly to briefly rest against Belle's cheek before dropping limply to the bed with a soft groan from its owner. Belle absent-mindedly began stroking the fur across Beast's forehead, pausing every few minutes to check his breathing. A small crash outside the doorway caused Belle to jump, as an embarrassed Cogsworth appeared around the door.

"Eh, heh heh... small accident, nothing to worry about!" Cogsworth flashed his most unconvincing grin, then promptly turned and began berating whoever had been responsible for the 'accident'. Mrs. Potts was the next to appear, as Lumiere's voice wafted into the room, sounding highly agitated. Mrs. Potts lightly bumped the door closed, shaking herself and sighing.

"Those two, stubborn as children and just as mature." carefully hopped up onto a chair next to Beast's bed, tipping a small stack of towels off her back and onto the cushion. "Chip should be along shortly." Mrs. Potts added, glancing at the doorway as the sound of muted slapping, followed by several French oaths outside the doorway reached their ears and caused Belle to giggle.

"Thank you," Belle said, picking up one small towel and tipping some hot water from Mrs. Potts onto it. Carefully, she rung the extra fluid back into Mrs. Potts until the towel was still moist, but no longer dripping. "Beast?" Belle whispered, stroking his cheek. Beast opened his eyes again, eyeing the towel in Belle's hand wearily.

"Let me guess..." Beast murmured, allowing his eyes to drift closed once more. "This might sting a little?"

Belle laughed as she folded the towel in two, laying it gently across the area of Beast's cracked ribs. Beast flinched slightly, but remained silent. Belle readied another towel, glancing at the doorway as a squeak and several more French oaths alerted her to the arrival of Cogsworth and Lumiere.

"Insufferable ding-dong that you are." Lumiere grunted, doing his best to impede Cogsworth's progress to the bed.

"'Ding-dong'? Truly, Lumiere, your wit is absolutely immeasurable."

"You two!" Mrs. Potts snapped, eliciting an embarrassed blush from both clock and candelabra. "Always bickering, when there's work to be done. Ah, Jean-Claude! Thank you for coming." Belle finished placing a third towel against Beast's side and turned to meet the newcomer, a large, scuffed-up old medical bag, wearing one dusty monocle.

"Good evening, Mademoiselle. How may I be of assistance?" Jean-Claude made a comical attempt at a curtsy, nearly spilling a large bottle of a rather nasty-looking green liquid from himself as he did so.

"You dolt, it isn't even nine in the morning yet!" Lumiere muttered, brandishing one arm at the sunlight filtering in through the broken windows. Cogsworth scoffed as Jean-Claude opened his mouth to object.

"And just who are you calling a dolt?" Cogsworth challenged, poking Lumiere roughly in the nose.

"You, you miserable piece of machinery-"

"Cogsworth, Lumiere!" Mrs. Potts snapped. The pair fell silent. Belle cleared her throat to attract Jean-Claude's attention once more.

"Ah yes, madame. How may I be of service?" Jean-Claude quickly hopped up next to Mrs. Potts, straining against his monocle in an attempt to gain a better view of Beast.

"I think he may have a cracked rib... or two..." Belle murmured, moving aside the now cool clothes covering Beast's side and lifting Jean-Claude to allow him a better examination of Beast's wounds.

"Ah, yes, yes... quite bruised..." Jean-Claude chimed, as Belle's hand gently brushed aside a large clump of Beast's fur to reveal a large area of deep purple and blue marks. "Quite serious, quite serious. Well," Jean-Claude took one miscalculated hop backwards, nearly falling off the side of the bed before righting himself once more and popping open to show Belle what would be needed. "I have some bandages in here.. somewhere..." a large roll flew out of Jean-Claude and landed neatly on the bed, "annnd... some...tape!" A much smaller roll of tape suddenly rocketed out of the medical bag, missing Belle's head by inches and ricocheting off the wall before bopping Jean-Claude squarely in the face. A snicker from Lumiere was quickly silenced as Mrs. Potts glared down at him.

"Yes, yes," Jean-Claude cleared his throat loudly, attempting to regain his composure. "I believe all we can do at this point is wrap his chest and let him rest. Those clothes should help with any swelling, too." Jean-Claude added, nodding approvingly in the general direction of Belle's wet towels. "Just wrap him up, and he'll be good as cured." Jean-Claude hopped off the bed, landing heavily on one of Cogsworth's feet before making his way to the door.

"Oh, and by the way; please, do not, under any circumstances, send those two," here, one angry strap brandished dangerously in Lumiere and Cogsworth's direction, "for me again!" With that, Jean-Claude hopped out into the hall, slamming the door behind him. Lumiere and Cogsworth both turned bright red at this outburst, while Beast winced at the sound of the slamming door and groaned.

"Shh, it's alright." Belle soothed, reaching tentatively over Beast in order to grab the bandages and tape left by the medical bag. She carefully unrolled a large quantity of bandages before tearing it off with her teeth and eyeing Beast with some worry.

"I think you might have to sit up..." Belle mused, eyeing the bandages in her hand and wondering how on earth she was supposed to manage wrapping them around a massive form who could barely open his eyes,let alone move. Beast seemed to be thinking along the same lines and released an unamused snort.

"Well, really, you could at least try." Belle teased, gently whacking Beast's nearest paw. Beast chuckled, then, with a groan, managed to prop himself up just long enough for Belle to wrap the bandages around his chest twice before his strength gave out. Belle sighed as she gazed at the length of bandages left over and lay them aside.

"I guess that will have to do." Belle picked up the roll of tape and tore of five large strips, positioning each approximately two spaces apart from one another along Beast's bandages. Once she was satisfied that they would hold, Belle turned back to Mrs. Potts once more and began to rewet the towels. She stopped as she felt Beast lay one paw against her arm, and turned to face Beast's deep blue eyes.

"Thank you... for coming back." Beast murmured. He smiled weakly at Belle for a moment, then gave into sleep and went limp against his pillows. Belle smiled as she gently placed Beast's still outstretched arm back on the bed beside its owner and resumed her placements of the towels, humming quietly to herself. Finally, something had gone right.


	7. Chapter Seven

Belle spent the rest of the day, well into the evening, tending to Beast's numerous cuts and bruises and wondering how on earth he had survived such a brutal attack from Gaston. Beast had remained largely unconscious throughout the day, mumbling incoherently only once about an army of rabid squirrels. As Belle gazed out the window at the setting sun, she began to grow uneasy, thinking about what her father had told her before she had left to find Beast.

"If you find that castle, and Beast is still alive... I want the two of you to go. Far, far away, and do not. Come. Back."

Belle squeezed her eyes shut as she curled up into a ragged chair next to Beast's bed. She couldn't just let her father be sent to the asylum, no matter how likely it was that Monsieur D'Arque could be bribed into releasing him. Gaston would be furious – Belle had no doubt that he would not hesitate to hunt her father down and claim Maurice had simply 'disappeared'. Then he would come after her and Beast…

Belle drew her knees up to her chest and buried her face against them as she forced herself to keep from crying. There was no way for her to escape Gaston. At least this way, neither her father nor the Beast would be killed.

Which led to another problem… Beast was not going to let Belle go off to be forced into marrying Gaston without a struggle. He might even try to go with her, to protect her, which, in his state, would certainly mean his death.

There was only one solution. He couldn't know.

Belle peered up over her knees and straightened out as Beast began to stir. He groaned as he attempted to sit up, gazing blearily around the room until his eyes fell on Belle. His face lit up for a moment before becoming concerned.

"Belle, are you alright? You've been… crying…"

Belle hurriedly wiped away the stray tears that had fallen down her cheeks and laughed shakily.

"I'm fine. I just haven't had much sleep, that's all. How are you feeling?"

Beast didn't look entirely convinced by her answer, but he let it go. He gingerly poked at a bandage on his arm, wincing.

"I've felt better." Beast grumbled, casting Belle a sideways glance. "But nothing worse than what Gaston's going to feel when I get through with him." Beast turned to gaze at the last beams of the sun as it set, missing Belle's momentary look of panic before she was able to recompose herself. By the time Beast turned back, Belle's face was calm.

"You must be hungry." Belle quipped, standing quickly and brushing off her skirts. "Would you like me to get Mrs. Potts to bring you some dinner?" Without waiting for an answer, Belle smiled and went to call out the door. Lumiere was stationed immediately outside, without, surprisingly, any female consort.

"Belle!" Lumiere greeted, his painfully bored expression sliding away into pure ecstasy. "How are you feeling? How is the master?"

Belle smiled, bending down to speak more easily with the enthusiastic candelabra. "He's just fine," Belle said, stifling a yawn as the room blurred slightly. She really needed to get some rest. "But we were wondering if you might be able to have some food sent up to us?"

Lumiere stood rigid as a soldier, giving a mock salute before hopping off to the kitchens with an 'Aye, aye, mon cherie!"

Belle slipped back into the room, closing the door softly behind her. She jumped slightly as she turned to face Beast, only to find him studying her intently. Belle tried to smile.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Beast asked her again, quietly. Belle felt her chest clench as she struggled not to burst into tears and tell him everything.

"I'm fine." Belle said quietly, moving back to her chair by Beast's bed. Beast raised one paw slightly, as if hesitating over whether or not to take her hand. He set it back down, looking slightly disheartened.

"You'd tell me if you weren't….?" Beast mumbled, feeling awkward in his attempts at sincerity.

Belle was saved having to answer by a loud rap at the door, followed by muffled oaths as Cogsworth apparently spilled hot soup on Lumiere's foot. Belle giggled.

"I guess the food's here!"

 

Both Belle and Beast were silent throughout their small meal, kept entertained for the most part by Lumiere and Cogsworth's continual bickering. When they had finished their meals, Mrs. Potts arrived to escort the plates back to the kitchen, chastising Lumiere and Cogsworth all the wall down the hall. Belle was now feeling more tired than ever, and had just begun to drift off in her chair when Beast suddenly burst into her train of thought about finding a nice, comfortable bed.

"What happened when you left?"

Belle's eyes shot open and she immediately sat up, aware that she could've reacted much more subtly. Beast was gazing nonchalantly out the window, almost as unwilling to hear Belle's answer as Belle was to give it. Belle floundered for a moment, trying desperately to come up with a believable story.

"Gaston led the villagers back to Molyneaux…" Belle said slowly. "Then…" Several minutes passed before Belle was able to finish. "Gaston said he would have both me and my father locked away if I ever tried to leave the village again." Belle watched nervously as Beast continued to stare out the window, frowning.

"That's… all?" He murmured, casting her a wary glance.

Belle nodded, then, remembering he couldn't see her, said "Yes. That's all."

There was awkward silence for several moments before Beast released a small 'hmph', sagging back into his pillows with a wince. "Well…" Beast rubbed a paw over his face, looking weary. "I suppose we should both get some sleep."

Belle hesitated for a moment, before realizing Beast was unwilling to attempt to pry any more information out of her for the moment. She quietly rose to go, watching as Beast's eyes began to close and his breathing even into slow breaths. At the door, Belle hesitated, her hand on the knob.

"Beast?" Belle said softly. Beast released a soft, indistinctive noise. Belle took a deep breath.

"I love you." She waited a moment, realizing Beast was already sound asleep. She slipped out the door, smiling softly to herself.


	8. Chapter Eight

The air was still as the first few rays of the sunrise began to drift over the castle grounds. For the first time in what seemed like eons, the light began to dance on the heads of the garden statues, illuminating small wings, delicate hands, and beautiful faces: one would never have recognized them as the grotesque gargoyles that had inhabited their places for the countless nights of years before. As the sunlight slowly stretched towards the castle, it's tall, gleaming spires shone faintly in the growing light, vines entwined in the window sashes and flowers blooming almost instantaneously as the sun rose to fully illuminate the castle.

Inside, the servants were asleep. An old woman hunched over a table as she snoozed lightly, her son nestled against her legs at the feet of her chair. A tall, handsome man with a large nose snored loudly into the ear of a more hefty fellow in elaborate, if somewhat outdated dress, who occasionally reached up and swatted the former servant in his sleep. Throughout the castle, all was still.

And then a scream.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Get out!" Belle's screams echoed throughout the palace as the servants snapped awake with a jolt, gazing blearily around in confusion as to the commotion, and then what they were seeing.

"Lumiere…?" Mrs. Potts mumbled in confusion, her eyes growing wide as they fell on the form of what should have been, to her mind, an anthropomorphised candelabra. The former candelabra gazed back at her in shock, and then, with as much confusion upon his frazzled looking clock-companion, declared "Cogsworth?"

"Mama!" Chip shouted, leaping to his feet and wrapping his arms around Mrs. Potts in an exultant hug. "Mama, we're human again!"

There were general cries of excitement and laughing intermingled with tears as the palace inhabitants came to their senses and the realization that, after nearly twenty years, they had been freed of the Enchantress' spell. Yet, the excitement was quickly dashed as yet another scream suddenly ripped through the palace.

"Belle!" Lumiere exclaimed, breaking into a mad dash for the staircase. All those within earshot quickly followed, wondering what could have caused such distress in their apparent savior. All was quickly explained as they neared Belle's open doorway, where a tall, though haggard young man was cowering against the handrail as small objects came flying through the doorway, apparently aimed towards his head.

"Belle, stop! It's me!" Adam yelped, dodging a small flower vase with a rather ugly mouse in red shorts painted on the side. "Stop - OW! - stop hitting me!"

"Who are you? Where is- AAH!" Belle fell backwards across her bed as Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts appeared alongside the cowering, human 'Beast'. Confusion was evident in every face as Cogsworth helped his master to his feet, Adam rubbing gingerly at a quickly-growing lump on his forehead as he was moved out of Belle's throwing reach.

"Belle, dear-" Mrs. Potts began, slowly walking towards the bed. Belle stood shakily, her face white.

"Who are all of you? How do you know my name? Did Gaston send you?" Belle cried, tears pouring down her face.

Everyone froze at this question, realizing how the crowd of servants must look like yet another mob come to assault the castle. In Belle's disorientation, she stumbled yet again, sleep still clouding her mind and throwing off her balance. She clutched desperately at a small candlestick in her hand, brandishing it towards Mrs. Potts as if it were a weapon.

"Don't come any closer!" Belle sobbed. Mrs. Potts eyes began to water as she inched closer to Belle.

"Mama?" Chip was quickly hushed as the crowd of servants moved away from the door, forming a semi-circle to prevent Belle's escape in case she bolted, but backing off enough to hopefully calm her down.

"Please…" Belle sobbed, tears flowing freely. "Where's Beast?"

Mrs. Potts suddenly burst into tears, throwing herself at the already terrified Belle and wrapping her in a massive hug.

"Oh, my poor, sweet child!" Mrs. Potts gasped, Belle frozen in shock and confusion within her embrace. "It's us, dear! All of us!"

"We are human again," Lumiere explained, lamely gesturing at his nodding companions. "You have broken the spell."

Belle's face relaxed into a blank stare as she slowly turned her gaze on each of the servants in her doorway.

"The… spell?" Belle murmured, as Mrs. Potts pulled away, dabbing at her eyes with her apron.

"Yes, my dear," Mrs. Potts smiled warmly, taking Belle's hands. "You've freed us."

Belle smiled numbly at her for a moment, and then, with a sigh, fainted.

There was a collective silence as Mrs. Potts caught Belle in time to prevent her from hitting her head, and brought her to rest against her lap. She exchanged worried looks with Lumiere and Cogsworth and Adam approached Belle's unconscious form, dropping to his knees and taking her hand.

"Well…" Cogsworth squeaked, before stopping to clear his throat. "I thought that went splendidly."

There was a moment more of silence, and then -

THWACK. Cogsworth stumbled as Lumiere smacked him roughly upside the back of his head.

"Over-embellished piece of brass," Lumiere snorted. With that, the crowd slowly dispersed, Cogsworth following red-faced behind them.

Adam sighed as he gently cradled Belle's hands within his own, brushing aside a stray strand of hair from her peaceful face.

"It's all my fault," he sighed, leaning back on the balls of his feet. "I was so excited, I just ran right in here…"

"Never a good idea, dearie," Mrs. Potts crooned, as Adam rubbed at the back of his head in embarrassment. "You gave the poor girl quite the fright!"

"I know…" Adam moaned, allowing himself to collapse into a sitting position on the floor. He cast Belle a nervous glance. "Will she be alright?"

"She's coming around," Mrs. Potts chirped, as Belle began to moan and groggily opened her eyes. There was a brief hesitation on her part as she gazed up into Mrs. Potts' face, then, uncertainly, she murmured, "Mrs. Potts?"

Mrs. Potts laughed as Adam released a breath of relief, Belle slowly struggling to sit up with the help of Mrs. Potts. Her eyes slowly came around to Adam, who froze, staring at her with ill-concealed hope.

"Who.. Who are you?" Belle murmured, her eyes narrowing as she glanced over the prince for any recognizable trait. She froze as her gaze met his, and then, without warning, she released a cry.

"Beast!" Belle wept, throwing herself into Adam's arms and breaking into renewed sobs.

Adam visibly relaxed with the knowledge that he was not about to be pelted again, and wrapped his arms gently around Belle's shoulders.

"Yes, Belle, it's me," Adam whispered, softly stroking Belle's hair. Belle sniffed, swiping her eyes as she pulled away and laughed.

"I'm so sorry- I didn't hurt you, did I?" Belle's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, her gaze settling on the vibrantly red lump adorning Adam's forehead. Adam laughed, rubbing at the lump and wincing slightly.

"What, this? No problem." Both the prince and Belle released nervous and relieved laughs as they stared at each other, not really sure what to do. Mrs. Potts coughed quietly, reverting their attention back to herself.

"I believe some freshening up is in order," Mrs. Potts said pointedly, nodding towards the torn clothes Adam still wore. Adam pinkened slightly, then nodded his assent as he regained his footing and helped Belle to her own feet.

"I'll see you downstairs?" Adam said quietly, still holding Belle's hand. Belle nodded, her eyes still locked on his, and Adam gently kissed her hand. Reluctantly, he left the room, closing the door softly behind him. As the door closed, Belle beamed at Mrs. Potts, silently acknowledging the prince's parting words of "I love you, too."


	9. Chapter Nine

Back in Molyneux, all was oddly quiet. A lone figure sat in a massive chair by the tavern's fire; the occupant could be none other than Gaston, for none would dare to incite his wrath by using the precious seat.

It was rare that Gaston ever looked deep in thought. Normally, his expressions only ranged from proud and boastful to furiously angry. Tonight, however, his reputation was at stake.

It had been a mistake to allow Belle out of the town: he'd known that even before LeFou arrived with news of the conversation that had passed between Belle and her father. Now that Belle was gone, it was unlikely she would come back.

Or would she? Gaston pounded a fist against one of the chair's arms with such force that it splintered. Damn that woman! It was unlikely that she would abandon her father so easily, but she would know Gaston would never allow her to leave his sight again if she returned. Besides, she expected her father would escape by bribing Monsieur D'Arque. Gaston snorted and shifted in his chair, his back cracking slightly and alerting him to just how long he had sat in thought. He had paid D'Arque more than enough to guarantee that escape would not be an issue.

Gaston stood with a grunt, kicking some soot into the fire to extinguish it. Belle had only one more day. If she did not return by next sunrise...

Well... That simply would not do.

 

Belle had to force her mouth to remain closed as she took in the sights around her. Every inch of the castle gleamed in the sunlight of a new morning, the paintings and tapestries now featured beautiful men and women, and the gargoyles of the hallways had been replaced by mischievous, beaming sculptures of cherubs. Belle paused momentarily as she reached the bottom of the staircase, taking a deep breath as she surveyed the transformations around her. Her reverie was only broken by the feeling that someone was watching her. Belle looked around and realized that Chip had crept up on her and was now beaming shyly at her as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, arms behind his back. Belle smiled at him, and he raced forward, wrapping his arms around her waist in a massive hug. Belle laughed as she returned the hug, and Chip broke away, leading her by the hand into the dining room.

The entire household seemed to have gathered within the single room. Wall to wall, servants beamed with pride and thanks at Belle as she entered the room. Adam rose from his seat at the table, a red mark still visible where Belle had struck him. Belle blushed with embarrassment, earning a grin from Adam.

"You have very good aim," Adam offered in greeting. Belle blushed deeper, eliciting laughter from several nearby servants.

"I hope I didn't hurt you... er... too badly, anyway," Belle was fairly certain her face could not become any redder than it already felt at that point. Adam waved a hand dismissively, flinching a bit as he did so.

"No harm done. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that..." Adam coughed and Belle giggled a little nervously. Awkward silence fell as Belle and Adam both realized just how many eyes were watching their exchange.

"When's the wedding?" Chip piped, and the room burst into laughter. Adam's face turned nearly as red as Belle's as he rubbed at the back of his head, avoiding Belle's gaze. Belle's eyebrows had shot up nearly into her hairline as she looked at Adam in shock. Adam glanced at her face and grinned nervously.

"Um..." Adam began.

"You have to get on one knee!" Someone shouted. Chimes of agreement rang out as Adam dropped to one knee, taking Belle's hands in his own. Stuttering slightly, he looked up at Belle, the question on the end of his tongue, and stopped short as he took in her expression. Belle's face seemed to have suddenly drained completely of blood in the last few seconds, a stark comparison to her look of embarrassment only moments before. Others seemed to have noticed this as well, as the room suddenly fell silent, save a few worried whispers.

"What's wrong?" Lumiere whispered, nudging Cogsworth. "We know she loves him, or the spell would not have been broken!"

"Belle?" Adam murmured, rising to his feet. He placed a hand gently to Belle's face, but she refused to meet his gaze. Adam looked around the room at his servants, then gently took Belle by the arm and led her out into the hall. As the door slammed shut, the servants began to chatter in fear.

Their babble was drowned out by the thick doors of the dining room. Adam led Belle to a dainty chair by the staircase, helping her sit. By this time she was shaking, and looked like she might cry. Adam knelt down to face level with her, concern etched in every line of his face.

"Belle, we... I mean, if you aren't..." Adam began, but was cut short as Belle burst into tears, throwing her arms around Adam's neck and nearly knocking him to the floor.

"Belle, what's wrong?" Adam gasped through Belle's choke hold. Belle leaned back in her chair, her hands twisting at her apron.

"It's Gaston." Belle managed to gasp, wiping at the tears that streamed down her face. "He has my father. If I don't marry him tomorrow, he's going to lock him away in the asylum."

Adam stared blankly at Belle as this information sank in. Slowly he stood up, his face stony as he gazed down at Belle, unseeing. Belle wiped her eyes on her apron and looked up at Adam with confusion. Adam continued to gaze blankly down at her, apparently lost deep in thought. He suddenly nodded to himself and, surprisingly, grinned.

"Beast?" Belle muttered, concerned. Adam knelt down beside Belle once more, his expression one of set determination. He took Belle's hands in his own once more and looked her straight in the eye.

"Belle, do you trust me?" Adam whispered. Belle stared at him for a moment, her mouth open slightly.

"Of... of course I do," Belle stuttered. Adam smiled at this and kissed her, eliciting another blush from Belle. He pulled her to her feet, guiding her back towards the dining room doors.

"Then," Adam murmured, as he grasped at the door to the dining room, "here is what we're going to do..."


	10. Chapter Ten

Dawn spread slowly over Molyneaux as Gaston oversaw the wedding preparations. A large, white tent had been erected in the middle of the fields outside town proper, with a band in rich costume and the triplets in matching bridesmaid dresses; crying, as usual. Dover's Creek sparkled with torch light from the scene; the entire town had been too ecstatic about their hero finally marrying the town beauty – even if she was a bit odd – to get much rest, and the early hours of the morning had been given over to festivity and preparation instead of sleep. Gaston looked impressive in a rich red overcoat and shiny new boots, hair slicked back and pulled tight into its customary ponytail. However, the splendor utterly failed to reach his dark eyes, set in a dangerous slant of anger as he gripped his pocket watch tightly. Glancing over his shoulder and Monsieur D'Arque's awaiting caravan, he snapped his watch shut and turned to face the horizon.

His jaw dropped as he made eye contact with Belle. She gave him a curt nod, then turned and disappeared inside her house.

She was there. Gaston blinked several times to ensure he was not imagining things, then quickly shut his mouth and allowed it to instead settle into a triumphant leer.

"So, you made it," Gaston mumbled to himself and smirked, folding his arms across his chest. He put two fingers to his lips and whistled loudly, calling the triplets over. "Belle is back. I want you to go and help her with her dress."

"But, Gaston... We thought we could help you more out here...?" Bunny blubbered, eyes bright. Gaston forced his most charming smile to his lips and pulled a loose strand of hair from Bunny's face, making her blush.

"I couldn't possibly ask anything more from such lovely ladies." This had the desired effect – all three triplets immediately melted into piles of mush and hurried off to help Belle, chattering incessantly about all that still needed to be done. Gaston slicked his hair back and stopped two men passing with a large, reflective dinner plate to grin at himself. Everything was going according to plan.

 

"I told you not to come back!" Maurice shouted. Belle glanced fearfully towards the door as she ushered her father away from the doorway and slammed the lock into place, barring out the curious townsfolk.

"It's alright, Papa! We have a plan!" Belle whispered. Maurice's face had gone positively puce in color as he allowed Belle to lead him to a chair by the fire. Dark circles adorned his eyes, making Belle's stomach lurch with guilt at the thought of his sleepless nights of worry.

"Listen, we don't have much time-"

"Belle?" Belle gasped as Bunny's voice rang out at the door. "Belle, we're here to help with your dress!"

Belle glanced at the garish, puffy-sleeved wedding dress laid out on the kitchen table and cringed, whispering hurriedly to her father. Maurice's eyes widened as Belle explained her plan, and he stared at her in shock once she had finished.

"You can't be serious. This will never work!" Maurice gasped, sinking back in his chair. Belle stood and crossed to the front door, where the triplets had begun to pound against the wood.

"Please, Papa," Belle released the lock and flung the door open. "Just trust me!"

 

Belle sighed as she pulled at the neck of her gown. It was covered in horrible little shapes that she assumed were meant to be flowers, but looked more like squashed insects to her. The neckline was almost inappropriately low, stopping only just high enough to keep her decent. On top of that, she had never felt such an itchy fabric in her life. The triplets had worked at her hair for several hours, leaving Belle with an admittedly horrible bun adorned with noxious-smelling flowers stuck in at odd places. Maurice startled her from her annoyed musings as he placed one hand on her own and smiled sadly.

"I can't say I'm happy for you, Belle,' Maurice offered. Belle smiled and let out a soft laugh.

"Neither can I, Papa." Belle leaned over and hugged Maurice tightly, giving him a confused look as he suddenly pulled away in horror.

"My word, girl. That has to be the itchiest fabric I've ever felt!" Belle giggled at Maurice's outburst, and Maurice chuckled. Both fell silent as the band began to play, and Maurice groaned.

"I hope this plan of yours works, child," Maurice grumbled, offering his arm to Belle. Belle squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then stood, taking her father's arm and lowering the veil over her face.

"So do I, Papa," Belle whispered, as Maurice opened the door. "So do I..."


	11. Chapter Eleven

Belle inhaled a deep breath as she stepped out of her house, cringing visibly at the sight of the entire town gathered for her wedding. She gasped as Gaston swept in seemingly from nowhere, gripping her tightly by the arm as he grinned from ear to ear for the cheering crowd. He leaned down next to her ear, whispering low.

"Ready, pumpkin?" He squeezed her arm, but she fought down the sting of pain. She was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her bend before him. Glancing over Gaston's shoulder to the hill and trees that she knew Adam and the others would be emerging from any moment now, she gave Gaston the most charming smile she could muster.

"I can't wait." Some of her glee at the impending interruption must have shone through, for Gaston seemed surprised and then quite proud of himself for Belle's apparent change of heart. Puffing out his chest, he tugged Belle forward and began to march her down the aisle. Off to one side, Maurice was clearly wringing his hands and looked absolutely beside himself with worry. Belle's heart lurched at the sight of him. Her only solace was the knowledge that the charade would soon be over.

Belle's gaze drifted once more to the treeline, where she could vaguely glance the outline of a white horse stamping impatiently just inside the shadows. She smiled to herself, snapping back to attention as Gaston halted in front of the town's elderly priest, a bent man with glasses the thickness of Belle's hand. Clearing his throat, he smiled distractedly out in the general direction of the crowd, which had now fallen silent. Clearing his throat, the priest flipped open a shoddy bible almost as old as himself and began to speak.

"Dearly beloved…"

 

"Master, what are we waiting for?" Lumiere urged, nudging the Prince in the ribs. "We are supposed to interrupt the proceedings, non?"

Adam took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he nervously adjusted his hat, a fancy wide-brimmed number with a floppy feather that he suspected had gone out of style several years beforehand. He hadn't exactly kept up with the latest royal fashion, though the mental image of his Beastly self dressed in traditional courtly attire was rather entertaining.

"We have to wait until the priest asks if anyone objects. Chip will signal when it's time." Adam motioned towards a large bush halfway between themselves and the wedding proceedings, where the youngster was eagerly peering out through the branches. He glanced back, sending Adam and Lumiere a friendly wave before resuming his post. Mrs. Potts rode up quietly beside the two men, peering wistfully out at the wedding.

"I remember my wedding day." She sighed, smiling slightly. "Mr. Potts nearly fainted at the sight of me in my gown, I remember. Poor man was always very excitable." Adam chuckled, and Mrs. Potts gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "Everything will work out, your Highness. Don't fret."

Adam opened his mouth to respond when Lumiere suddenly went rigid in his saddle, motioing back to the rest of the quite sizable party. Chip was signaling excitedly from the bushes.

"Time to go…" Adam whispered to himself. Mrs. Potts beamed at him, straightening his hat for him one last time. Taking a deep breath, he nudged his horse out into the sunlight.

 

"… For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health…" Belle felt her willpower fading as the priest droned on, her skin itching horribly beneath the stiff material of her wedding dress. She momentarily considered simply bolting for the treeline, when the priest finally reaches the pine she had been waiting for.

"If anyone has reason why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now,or forever hold your peace." Maurice looked ready to shoot off an entire list of reasons, but was thankfully prevented from doing so by the blast of a trumpet. Startled, the entire crowd of wedding guests turned to see a royal procession making its way straight for the wedding. Murmers and whispers broke out as Gaston stared in confusion and annoyance at the approaching party, clearly irked that the attention had been taken from his big moment. Belle felt her heart flutter in her chest as Adam came riding into view, looking quite regal in a set of navy court clothes and a slightly pompous looking hat. She supposed it suited him, in a way.

"Here ye, here ye! His royal highness, Prince Adam approaches!" Cogsworth bellowed from the front of the procession, and here the chattering of the wedding guests ceased all efforts to be quiet.

"The Prince! I heard he'd died!"

"Where has he been all these years?"

"Maybe he came back because we chased the beast out of his castle!" Belle snorted at that. They weren't wrong…

The royal procession stopped short of the wedding party, and Adam dismounted from his horse. Strolling purposefully towards herself and Gaston, Belle could only grin as he swept into a low bow.

"Forgive me for interrupting your service!" Adam offered, face set in a passing resemblance of remorse. "However, I fear I must be the bearer of bad news. You see, I cannot allow this wedding to proceed." A gasp arose from most of the crowd, punctuated by a happy squeal from the triplets. Gaston's face turned momentarily mutinous before he managed to wrestle his expression back under control.

"Forgive me, your highness was it?" Gaston crooned, stepping close to Adam and drawing himself up to his full height. Fortunately, Adam wasn't exactly a small man himself. "But why, exactly, can't our wedding be allowed to continue?" Adam drew himself up to his full height, and Belle fought down a laugh as Gaston suddenly appeared to regret his decision to try and stare down a member of the royal family when he realized Adam's full size.

"You see," Adam raised his voice, turning to address the crowd. "An arrangement was made when this young woman and I were children. Belle is promised as wife to myself, and has been for many years now." Gaston visibly blanched at this announcement. Unfortunately, so did Maurice, though thankfully no one seemed to have noticed.

"Forgive me, sire, but.. Why would someone of royal blood such as yourself be interested in marrying a commoner?" Gaston suddenly asked, voice laced with suspicion. Belle froze, but Adam appeared completely calm.

"I don't believe that is any of your concern." He said cooly. An 'oh, snap!' from LeFou rang out over the resumed mutters of the crowd, which was once again silenced by a raised hand from Gaston.

"It appears we have reached an impasse, my friend." Gaston boomed. "So I will offer you a compromise. We will settle this dispute with a competition, a… Display of skill, if you will. Do you accept?" He thrust out his hand.

Belle looked at Adam in horror. She had never dreamed that Gaston would be so egotistical as to challenge a Royal, though in retrospect, she supposed they should have At least considered the possibility. It was too late now. A flash of concern lit up Adam's eyes for the briefest of moments, then it was gone, and he shook Gaston's hand firmly. The crowd went wild.

"To the town!" Gaston crowed. With a wave of his hand, the wedding guests were in motion, hurrying back to town to set up for their hero. Gaston grabbed Belle by the arm, hauling her back to her house, where LeFou had already steered Maurice. Belle caught a glimpse of Adam as he was pushed back by the throng of villagers before she was bodily maneuvered back inside her own house. Gaston was positively livid.

"Stay here until I send for you, and don't think you're getting out of this so easily!" He sneered, slamming the door. Maurice took Belle's hands in his own as La Fou was heard being ordered the guard the door, and he stared at her in absolute bewilderment.

"My dear, what on earth have you gotten yourself into?"


End file.
